I've been a print and online journalist covering technology and industry for around 30 years. In that time I've written for both Mac and PC magazine titles as well as spending many years writing about digital imaging and digital camera technology. I enjoy all aspects of technology, especially the pleasure of using gadgets to make life more enjoyable, creative and productive. A large part of my career has been spent reviewing and testing the latest technology and that’s when I’m at my happiest.

The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Fujifilm has rapidly established itself as the Apple of the digital photography world with its slew of new digital cameras based around compact mirrorless bodies, Fujinon interchangeable lenses and an analogue feel that harks back to the days of film. The cameras have become firm favourites with enthusiasts trying to get away from the bulky DSLR systems of Nikon and Canon, but with a classic retro handling that’s reminiscent of old-school Leica cameras.

Although the X-Series may feel classically retro, the technology inside the four current models is far from retro. Fujifilm designs its own range X-Trans CMOS sensors that are unlike any other imaging sensors on the market. The sensors use random colour filter arrays and have no anti-aliasing filter which produces an image quality that’s supremely sharp and has colour reproduction that’s unique to Fujifilm

This is the first DSLR style X-Series camera from Fujifilm.

Now Fujifilm has taken the next step in the evolution of the X-Series with the announcement today of the brand new Fujifilm X-T1. It’s the latest addition to the range and mimics the form factor of a compact SLR camera (although technically it’s a CSC as there’s no mirror) with a gorgeous range of manual dials as well as fully automatic control. The X-T1 is a direct competitor to the OM-D from Olympus, except it has a larger APS-C sized 16.3-megapixel sensor instead of the OM-D’s Four-Thirds sensor. The new X-T1 accepts Fujifilm’s ever-expanding range of X-Mount lenses and its weather-resistant body is wrought from a hunk of die-cast magnesium and weighs in at 440g with battery and memory card.

The X-T1 features a ground-breaking piece of technology in the form of its viewfinder. Because the X-T1 is mirrorless, the viewfinder doesn’t use a pentaprism like conventional DSLR models; instead it has an OLED electronic eye-level viewfinder with a refresh lag of just 0.005 seconds. This fast refresh rate, which Fujifilm claims is one tenth the speed of conventional digital cameras, offers a lifelike experience from an electronic viewfinder that can keep up with fast-moving subjects or when panning. With a 2.36-million dot resolution, the OLED display promises a crisply detailed view of what’s being shot thanks to four display modes.

The first viewfinder mode is ‘FULL’, which takes advantage of the high magnification ratio of the X-T1′s viewfinder and displays shooting information at the top and bottom of the screen to avoid obstruction of the view . The second mode is ‘NORMAL’ which gives a standard view along with a display of the shooting settings. The third is ‘DUAL’ mode, which is designed for manual focusing using a split view where the regular view and manual focus area can be simultaneously checked with Digital Split Image or Focus Peak Highlight. Finally there’s an automatic ‘VERTICAL’ mode for when the camera is shooting in portrait view. The image is automatically rotated in ‘FULL’ and ‘NORMAL’ modes whenever the camera is held vertically. In addition to the eye-level viewfinder, the X-T1 also has a 3-inch LCD colour monitor with 1,040k dots that can tilt for low-angle shots.

As well as the OLED viewfinder, the X-T1 has a 3-inch tilting screen for low level shots.

To match the superfast refresh rate of the OLED viewfinder, there’s also a new autofocus system. The X-TransCMOS II sensor at the heart of the camera has phase detection autofocus built in and that means it can offer what Fujifilm claims is the world’s fastest focus response time of just 0.08 seconds. Add this to a start-up time of 0.5 seconds (thanks to a new EXR Processor II) and the X-T1 promises to be ready for action almost instantly. Shooting is possible at a very respectable rate of eight frames per second with tracking autofocus. With specs like that the X-T1 will prove a firm favourite with sports and wildlife photographers. The X-T1 is also the first model to be compatible with SDXC UHS-II format memory cards, so the data-writing speed in continuous shooting mode increases to about twice the rate of a conventional memory card.

Since the X-T1 is likely to appeal to outdoor shooters its 80 points of weather sealing on the dust and water-resistant body should give it plenty of protection from dirt and moisture. It can also operate at temperatures as low as -10°C and that makes it ideal as a tough field camera in hostile conditions. To top off what sounds like a seriously exciting design, the X-T1 features built-in wi-fi capability and there’s a Smartphone application for controlling the camera remotely.

We haven’t had an opportunity to review the X-T1 yet as it’s only just been announced, but from the specifications chart it looks as if it will be setting the standard for a new and exciting category of professional digital camera.

The X-T1 is available mid-to-late February and will retail at $1,299/£1,099/€1,300 for the body on its own or $1,699/£1,499/€1,800/ with the excellent XF 18-55mm zoom kit lens.

The X-T1 sports three dials on its top-plate: an ISO selector, a shutter speed dial and an Exposure Compensation control.

X-T1 Specification Chart

Model Name

FUJIFILM X-T1

Number of effective pixels

16.3 million pixels

Image sensor

23.6mm×15.6mm（APS-C）X-Trans II CMOS with primary colour filter Total number of pixels: 16.7 million pixels

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The X-T1 looks fantastic. It’s a major shot across the bow of Olympus and their OMD line. As the owner of an X-E2 and a number of XF primes I can’t wait to get my hands on the X-T1. Fuji is serious, folks. Look out Nikon. Your Df is looking a lot less attractive today.

Please note I have used the term DSLR form factor but pointed out in the review that it is mirrorless. I use the term DSLR to differentiate these type of cameras from CSC models that have a compact camera form factor. I refer to the Olympus OM-D, Nikon Df and the Fujifilm X-T1 as DSLR-style cameras because that’s what they look like.

Really cool camera. I kinda want one. The mirrorless cameras are starting to catch up with the DSLRs, for sure. One thing I want to point out, however, because shooting sports is part of what I do for a living. While the specs of the camera itself appear to be capable of doing sports and wildlife photography, the available lenses for this camera are NOT! I’ve read that Fuji is planning to manufacture some super telephoto lenses in the future, however. Something to keep an eye on.

This appears to be an almost ideal “people” camera, though – responsive and unobtrusive for working in an intimate fashion and grabbing those wonderfully real, candid moments that life constantly presents to us. I think Henri Cartier-Bresson would approve of this camera!

I didn’t have room to post Fuji’s lens roadmap. There will be super telephotos available later this year so it should be suitable for sports, although I also know that sports photographers are notoriously fussy about their kit. I agree with you that Cartier-Bresson would love this camera.

Yes, Brad, you’re right. The Nikon Df is a full-frame reflex DSLR and I should have used the word retro-style DSLR. All these three cameras hark back to the styling of the SLRs of the film world back in the 1980s. I think of them all as DSLRs despite the fact that some use mirrorless technology and others rely on old-style reflex design. The truth is, the technology involved is less important than the handling and controls. These new retro cameras have a much more analog feel. At the enthusiast end of the market this seems to be the way things are going and proof perhaps that those old manual-style SLRs were a rather good design after all.

What do you mean by “Fujifilm is the Apple of the digital photography world?” The analogy doesn’t seem accurate or apt.

Fuji’s success has been in bringing back “retro” physical controls along with cutting-edge technology whereas Apple wraps their cutting-edge technology in futuristic (or at least current) designs, with a minimization of physical controls (i.e. capacitive touch instead of analog buttons).

Fuji has built a reputation for listening closely to user feedback and building in features suggested/demanded by their user base, whereas Apple is about internally determining UI they think is best for their users (often correctly).

Fuji has delighted many users by continually supporting and extending the useful lifespan of older hardware whereas Apple tends to let older hardware become obsolescent through incompatibility with latest software updates, forcing new hardware purchases.

If you mean Fuji is the Apple of digital photography because they’re very meticulous about design and get widespread acclaim from critics and hardcore enthusiasts, but don’t have widespread market share, then I guess Fuji is like Apple in that respect.

But the analogy needs to be so comprehensively qualified that I don’t think it’s at all apt.

“If you mean Fuji is the Apple of digital photography because they’re very meticulous about design and get widespread acclaim from critics and hardcore enthusiasts, but don’t have widespread market share, then I guess Fuji is like Apple in that respect.”

That’s exactly what I meant. My space is limited here and I really can’t write a treatise on every aspect. You clearly got what I meant so I’m really happy about that.

Instead of replying to a thought-out, non-snarky critique with passive-aggressive sarcasm and reductio ad absurdum, you could just reply in kind. If you wrote that line off the cuff without thinking a great deal about it, that’s perfectly understandable.

But to say that limited word count space necessitates or excuses flawed analytical writing feels like a cop-out.

As does the entire tone of your response to a sincere critique on a small point in what is otherwise a good summary of the X-T1.

I’m really sorry you saw it that way. I am English so perhaps my style of writing is not what you are used to. I agreed entirely with your summary of what I was saying. You spelt it out just as I would have if I had room in the opening paragraph to do that but I am limited on my word count.

My reply was not intended to be any of those things you claimed and was just a friendly reassurance that we were on the same wavelength. I don’t believe my writing was flawed. This is not academic or analytical writing it’s just a preview of a new camera. I said that Fujifilm was the Apple of the digital camera world as an introduction; a scene setter to try to explain where Fujifilm sits in the market.

I’m genuinely sad you interpreted my remarks as passive-aggressive sarcasm and reductio ad absurdum. If you knew me you would know that’s not the way I work. Thank you for taking the trouble to reply and I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.

No, I clearly read more into your first reply than I should have. Certainly given your last last reply. Sorry I belabored the point so much…it really is just a minor squabble over that one analogy. I have a tendency to be overly pedantic.

The important thing, of course, is that the X-T1 is a really great addition to the Fujifilm X ecosystem, looks like it will be a very strong head-to-head competitor against the Oly OMD cameras, and hopefully this means that investment in whatever Fujifilm XF-mount lenses will have a lot of longevity.

I think the biggest question that needs to be answered is how good the AF will really be. X100S was supposed to be a significant improvement over X-Pro1 and X-E1 but I’ve found it really problematic in tricky situations. X-E2 was supposed to be another significant improvement, and X-T1 yet another…I’m really hoping that the X-T1 AF, in low light, really does perform at least close to as well as the Oly E-M1′s does.

Please don’t apologise. It does us no harm to be called to account. The Apple reference was actually first written on another website and it chimed with me so I wrote it here. Fujifilm are real outsiders but with an attention to detail that mirrors Apple’s own approach. Perhaps not as much today as a few years back when I was working on MacFormat magazine and Apple was the underdog.

I agree with you, the X-T1 looks to be a fabulous camera. I haven’t had a chance to live with it, but I think it’s going to be great if all the specs are as listed in the spec chart. I must be honest, just before the OM-D first came out I thought Olympus was on the point of exiting the DSLR-style market. Then it came out with the OM-D and its taken the market by storm in the enthusiast sector. The X-T1 stands a great chance of rivalling the OM-D but obviously those who already have lenses are unlikely to switch. I think the low-light performance will be good thanks to that irregular-shaped filter array on the sensor and the lack of anti-aliasing filter. I’m so impressed with what Fujifilm has done. A few years back I thought they’d never produce another pro camera after the S5. I was totally wrong. Personally I love the JPEGs that come out of these models and I really like the film simulation modes. The fact that you can record RAW files alongside and the new processor makes file writing fast is great news. The old S series DSLR were so slow at writing files there was no way you could shoot rapidly.

So, I think this is the flagship model and will sell by the ton. I still love the compact models and to be honest, I’d be hard-pressed to choose which one to buy, I like them all so much. I’m hoping to get my hands on an X-T1 for review soon. Once again, space limits what I can do but I’ll try my best to convey how I feel it operates in the real world rather than lab tests.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to interact. It’s this sort of dialogue that helps me improve what I’m doing and as this is only my second post for Forbes, I’m still learning.

I guess my point is that Fujifilm only takes the same approach as Apple in very limited ways, but there are many ways in which they do not operate/design like Apple, so I felt the analogy was more inaccurate than accurate. But, in the end, this isn’t about the cameras, which is the most important thing.

I think the X-T1 is definitely going to be a rival to the Oly OMD E-M1. And while it may not be strong enough of a rival/winner to get OMD owners to switch to Fujifilm XF, I think it’s a critical model release to capture market share that has been sitting on the fence. Not just photographers who have one mirrorless system or another, but the non-mirrorless market composed of people who want to upgrade to an interchangeable lens system from compact cameras (or phones), or DSLR owners who have been pondering a switch to/addition of a mirrorless system.

I think, a fair percentage of those folks would have gone with an Oly OMD instead of a Fujifilm X. And, actually, Oly’s recent announcement of the OMD EM-10 may still capture a lot of these folks for budgetary reasons. But the X-T1 is an important draw for the $1000+ market segment.

Between Fuji and the new Sony mirrorless cameras, Nikon and Canon will have some competition…I am delaying any replacement for my 50D until the reviews come in, even though I have a number of Canon lenses.

I agree with you. Fuji is breaking all the rules right now. Wouldn’t it be great to have an X-T1 for studio and pro field use and one of the compacts for travel? Even the X-20 compact is a great little camera. Personally, I shoot with Nikon but since I became disabled a few years ago I’ve been looking for something lighter that can compete with my D7000. Fuji may well be the answer.

While you’re pondering, you can look up size comparisons on camerasize.com:

http://camerasize.com/compare/#7,520

I have a Nikon D7000 too and I don’t find the size difference all that big of a deal, in comparison with the compact Fujis, but the weight can matter…apparently it’s almost 12 ounces heaver, with batteries included. One probably should drop that difference to account for the need to carry at least 1, and actually probably 2, extra Fuji batteries to account for the disparity in battery life, with each Fuji battery being about 3 ounces. But there’s plenty of occasions when an extra battery won’t be necessary. And, there can also be some very significant weight savings in the lenses, depending on which you compare.

The Fujifilm 35mm f/1.4 is only 6.6 ounces, whereas the Nikon 35mm f/1.4 is a whopping 21.2 ounces. But it’s a full-frame lens, and the APS-C Nikon 35mm f/1.8 is 7.05 ounces.

Anyway…even though I’m not so terribly sensitive to size and weight and wouldn’t care to use an X-M1 or X-E2 instead of an X-T1 because of size/weight, even the X-T1 could mean saving a couple or even several pounds of weight when counting a camera body and several lenses, which is definitely a considerable difference when carrying it all on one’s shoulder(s) for the whole day while on holiday.

Let’s hope the X-T1 autofocus (acquisition speed and overall ability in low light and tracking of moving subjects) is good enough to not feel forced to use a DSLR…